International Day of Prayer for Peace 2004: Video Messages

Samuel KobiaGeneral secretary, World Council of Churches"Prayer is part of Christian spirituality, a spirituality which is not a call to turn inward, to retreat from social action and public life but, on the contrary, a call to awaken and to pursue the continuity of things of the spirit with action for justice and peace." More (Full transcript)

Desmond TutuNobel Peace Prize laureate"God weeps over God's world, aching because of conflict in Darfur, in Beslan, in Harare, in Colombia, in Jerusalem, in Belfast. (...) God - Emmanuel, God with us, with you - has no one but you to help God make this world hospitable to peace and justice." More (Full transcript)

Wolfgang HuberChairman of the Council of the Evangelical Church in Germany"Wherever people trust in the spirit of peace in the name of Jesus Christ, they experience that it is a realistic force to be reckoned with, and that possibilities open up." More (Full transcript)

Aram ICatholicos of the Armenian Apostolic Church (See of Cilicia), WCC Central Committee moderator"Peace is an essential dimension of our Christian life and witness. Peace is a gift of God given to humanity through the incarnation of our Lord Jesus Christ. Peace is also a god-given vocation that must be fulfilled in obedient response to the call of God." More (Full transcript)

Hanan Mikhail AshrawiSydney Peace Prize winner, advocate for Palestinian rights"I would like to express our appreciation for the courage to intervene effectively and positively in a constructive way as an antidote to attempts to intervene negatively and militarily. Peace with justice is not an abstract value; it is a real determining factor of our lives." More (Full transcript)

Keith ClementsGeneral secretary, Conference of European Churches"Back in the days of the cold war, we in the European Churches often used to say: The walls of separation don't reach to heaven. And it is still a saying worth remembering today." More (Full transcript)

Mvume DandalaGeneral secretary, All Africa Conference of Churches"The churches of Africa send greetings of peace to the peoples and churches of the world. Our greetings are immersed in tears, for in our own struggles we have known a great suffering. But our prayer is not just for peace in Africa but for peace in the whole world. " More (Full transcript)

Karen HamiltonGeneral secretary, Canadian Council of Churches"Jesus gives us this peace, not as something to hold to ourselves, but as something we are to call for, speak for, act for and indeed pray for; something that we are to share and make possible for all of God's children of this world." More (Full transcript)

Israel BatistaGeneral secretary, Latin American Council of Churches"Love builds, hate destroys human relationships. Seeking peace in a world of violence is a fundamental task for the mission of the church. To be a peace-maker is not an ideological option; rather it is an affirmation of our fidelity to Jesus Christ." More (Full transcript)

Hildegard Goss MayrHonorary president of the International Fellowship of Reconciliation"We want to invite you to join us more vigorously than ever to work to overcome the divisions and the injustices between North and South in our world." More (Full transcript)

Ahn Jae WoongGeneral secretary, Christian Conference of Asia"We are called to be peace-makers. Profound words like shanti, salaam and shalom should not only be chanted but also practised in our families, in our work places, in our communities, in our day-to-day lives." More (Full transcript)

Bernice Powell JacksonWCC President from the North American region"In this 2004 year of the Decade to Overcome Violence, we at the United States' churches are keenly aware of our responsibility in the world." More (Full transcript)

Thomas L. Hoyt Jr.President, National Council of Churches of Christ in USA"We believe that there is no peace without justice. We will also work in the spirit of Christ, knowing that we can do all things through Christ who strengthens us. We celebrate the God who liberates and reconciles." More (Full transcript)